How a consumer dashcam can help in an insurance dispute

This article looks at how consumer dashcams help in insurance disputes and improve driver safety.

Dashboard cameras ("dashcams") have boomed in popularity in recent years, driven by lower prices and dramatic viral dashcam video of everything from plane crashes to meteor strikes. As the Globe and Mail reports, consumer dashcams are also becoming popular among drivers who want to protect themselves if they are involved in a car accident or
have a dispute with their insurance company. The video can act as a neutral witness to an accident and may even encourage drivers to behave more safely on the road.

Helping to establish fault

People buy dashcams for a variety of purposes, such as being able to record a road trip they may be planning or just as a form of protection. Regardless of the reason, however, dashcams have proven invaluable to both police and individuals who are involved in an accident. For the police, the dashcams have become a useful tool for helping establish the facts of a case and track down certain individuals. In hit-and-run cases, for example, dashcams have frequently been used to identify individuals who have left the scene of an accident.

For consumers, dashcams provide similar protection by helping them establish what happened both before and during an accident. This evidence can prove extremely useful for proving to the insurer that the insured may not have been at fault for the accident. As CBC News reports, in one Hamilton case a dashcam video was used to help prove that an individual had been the victim of fraud after the video caught another vehicle deliberately crashing into his parked car.

Of course, it is important to keep in mind that dashcams can also be used against the insured by proving that they actually were at fault. Furthermore, drivers who intend to use dashcam evidence to bolster their case should be aware that they cannot edit or manipulate the video in any way or else the video may not be admissible in court.

Making drivers safer

In addition to helping settle insurance disputes, dashcams may also encourage motorists to be more careful when behind the wheel. That's because drivers who have dashcams know that their driving is being recorded, which may compel them to be extra safe. Additionally, some dashcams can record the speed a vehicle is going at, which again may encourage drivers to slow down.

Personal injury law

Dealing with insurers after an accident can be a slow and, at times, frustrating process. That's why anybody who has been involved in a crash should contact ROCHON | GENOVA LLP as soon as possible. An experienced lawyer can help clients in a number of ways, including by acting on their behalf when communicating with the insurer and fighting to get them the compensation they may be entitled to after an accident.